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Q&A
Council Member Schulman questions DOHMH on HOPWA, HIV diagnoses, and capital projects
2:32:34
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Council Member Lynn Schulman engages in a Q&A session with representatives from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, focusing on the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program, HIV diagnosis trends, and capital projects. The discussion covers funding allocations, the relationship between HOPWA and HASA, recent HIV diagnosis statistics, and inquiries about a CT simulator capital project.
- DOHMH representatives clarify that a $1.1 million increase in HOPWA funding is a technical adjustment with no specific new services planned.
- The conversation touches on the increase in new HIV diagnoses, which is attributed to changes in care-seeking behavior during the pandemic.
- Questions about a $2.4 million allocation for a CT simulator in fiscal year 2028 are raised, with DOHMH representatives promising to provide more information later.
Lynn Schulman
2:32:34
Okay.
2:32:35
In the preliminary plan, the funding was increased by $1,100,000 in federal dollars in fiscal twenty twenty five for the HOPWA program.
2:32:42
Will this funding be allocated to the construction of new sites, or will it be allocated for other services?
Michelle Morse
2:32:47
I'll pass to my CFO.
Aaron Anderson
2:32:50
Thanks, Jared.
2:32:50
That's actually just a technical adjustment around, you know, increasing grant funding, rolling out grant funding as it comes in.
2:32:55
So that was a technical adjustment.
Lynn Schulman
2:32:57
So there's no additional or specific services that are gonna be funded with that?
Aaron Anderson
2:33:01
Correct.
2:33:02
Okay.
Lynn Schulman
2:33:03
On February 12, the Committee on General Welfare held a joint hearing with the Committee on Health on the HIV AIDS Services Administration, HASA, which provides temporary and supportive housing in addition to support services.
2:33:13
What is HOPWA's relationship to HASA?
Michelle Morse
2:33:17
Thank you for the question.
2:33:18
We can get back to you with more details on that.
Lynn Schulman
2:33:21
Okay.
2:33:22
The PMMR highlights the number of new HIV diagnoses in calendar year 2023 which has increased to sixteen eighty six from fifteen sixty seven in 2022 and ninety five people in 2021.
2:33:40
Hundred and '20 '2 people in and one hundred and one thousand three hundred and forty seven people in 2022.
2:33:47
What factors aside from the COVID nineteen pandemic has impacted the number of new diagnoses?
Michelle Morse
2:33:53
Thank you for that question.
2:33:54
This is kind of what I was referencing earlier that there was an increase in the number of new diagnoses for HIV but a decrease in the number of new infections.
2:34:07
And again, we believe that that is related to changes in care seeking behavior during the pandemic in that people were getting diagnosed with HIV a bit later post infection.
Lynn Schulman
2:34:20
Are new HIV infections a reporting metric?
Michelle Morse
2:34:24
They are.
Lynn Schulman
2:34:25
Okay.
2:34:26
Are there additional PMMR rather metrics related to HIV or AIDS that DOHMH would consider adding in the future such as the percentage of people living with HIV that is undetectable?
Michelle Morse
2:34:37
We would be happy to have conversations with counsel in the future about that.
Lynn Schulman
2:34:41
Okay and I have one capital program question and then I'm gonna give it to other folks.
2:34:48
The capital commitment plan allocated 2,400,000 in fiscal twenty twenty eight for a computed tomography simulator.
2:34:56
How many people will be served with the CAT simulator?
Michelle Morse
2:35:00
I'll pass to my chief financial officer.
Aaron Anderson
2:35:02
Okay.
2:35:03
Yeah.
2:35:04
We'll have to get back
Jason Graham
2:35:05
to you on that one, Chair.
Lynn Schulman
2:35:05
Okay.
2:35:06
So the other questions that go with that so you can give us that also is does Jamaica Hospital currently have any CAT simulators or CT simulators or scanners?
2:35:14
And why is this funding scheduled for several years into the future?
2:35:18
And these are DOHMH capital projects.
Aaron Anderson
2:35:23
We'll have to get
Jason Graham
2:35:24
back to you on that.
Lynn Schulman
2:35:24
Okay.
2:35:25
I appreciate it.
2:35:26
I'm gonna ask Lincoln, council member Ressler to ask his questions.
Linda Lee
2:35:30
Thank you.